Coaxial cable connectors are commonly used with a terminated coaxial cable end for connection to various components, such as those in CATV and broadband applications including attachment to appliances such as computers, televisions and the like. The terminal end of a coaxial cable is typically retained by means of a compression member acting in concert with a connector body into which the cable end is introduced.
One common type of coaxial cable connector useful for the above purposes is defined by a number of elements that include a hollow post, a coupling nut, a connector body and a compression sleeve or other member. A typical example of such a connector is described in commonly owned and assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,716,062. The connector body, post and compression sleeve according to this typical design are individual and separate components that permit the end of a coaxial cable to be secured and wherein the nut is connected to the flanged end of the post and is freely rotatable to permit attachment, for example, to an external port, such as found on an appliance.
According to this version, the connector body is acted upon by the compression sleeve which is axially displaced over the exterior of the connector body. The compression sleeve is defined by an axial section having an inner diameter that is smaller than the exterior diameter of the connector body to effect radial deformation thereof and produce retention of the prepared cable end.
There is a general need to facilitate the manufacturability of the above-noted connectors. To that end, one attempt at integrating the connector body and compressive sleeve is described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,780,052 B2. Two embodiments are described in this patent. According to a first embodiment, a proximal portion of the connector body is caused to fracture wherein the fractured portion is further caused to move inwardly within the connector body as a wedge. In a second embodiment, the connector body or at least a portion thereof is made from a highly flexible material that is readily deformable. As axial force is applied, a portion of the connector body is then caused to fold upon itself to create a retaining chamber. Another attempt at integration of a compressive member in a coaxial cable connector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,283. This latter patent still requires the use of separate components, including an exterior sleeve as well as an independent locking ring.
Each of the foregoing patents provide techniques for creating compression in order to retain a prepared coaxial cable end for termination, but involve variations to those previously employed when separate components are used. It would be preferred to simplify the design of currently known compression connectors of the above type, while still reliably providing the same form of cable compression technique.